For The Record
by bluedragon03
Summary: Levy owns the best record store in town, and has a reputation for giving the best recommendations. Everyone asks for her advice on music, accept one regular, but she'd determined to change that. ( Birthday gift for xxgajevyloverxx)


**A/N- Credit to itschildoffairies for this idea. Bless.**

"Seriously," Levy complained, "how hard is it to put records back where they go?" She snatched yet another metal album out of the pop section and slid it back into it's rightful place. She glanced up at the clock and squeaked in alarm. It was almost time for Gajeel to get here!

Gajeel was her most frequent customer, and also her only regular that she hadn't managed to befriend. She'd been lucky to pry a name out of him, as uncooperative as he was. No matter how hard she tried he just wouldn't talk to her, which frustrated Levy. She had always been popular with her customers, and prided herself on her reputation as the best person in town to recommend you new music. She hadn't been able to live up to that reputation with Gajeel, however, because she couldn't get to know him if he wouldn't talk to her.

Of course she'd seen what records he'd bought, but just as with anyone else those only pointed her to the bands and genres he _already_ liked and knew about, she had no idea what he liked about those bands to narrow down her options for recommendation. She had been taking note of his record purchases and listening to them in her free time to try and decipher what he was looking for in music. She took her reputation as the best in town for music recs very seriously.

She had attempted to suggest a few before, citing their similar tastes in music, but he had just brushed her off, possibly assuming that little-miss-blue-hair-five-foot-nothing-in-a-tank-top couldn't _possibly_ have the same taste in music as mister-six-foot-something-with-lots-of-piercings-and-fingerless-gloves. She _hated_ the idea that he might think she couldn't have good taste in music because of her appearance, which only made her more determined to prove him wrong. Finally, _finally,_ she had found what she thought was the perfect record and the perfect plan.

He couldn't just _not_ hear the music if he walked in while she was playing it, and while she usually play music out loud, it _was_ her shop so she could do whatever she wanted anyway. Maybe she was taking this whole thing too seriously, but it really rubbed her the wrong way that he was her only regular who didn't come to her for recommendations. She felt like it was a stain on her otherwise flawless reputation. Some of her other regulars knew of him, and said he didn't take music recs from anyone, and instead of making her back down she felt like she'd been issued a challenge. Not to mention, she had one more trick up her sleeve that he couldn't possibly deny.

She placed the record on her player and started it, then retreated behind her counter, checking to be sure she had her personal copy in place just as the doorbell jingled and Gajeel stalked in, looking as sullen as ever.

"Hello Gajeel," Levy chirped with all of her usual cheer. Gajeel merely grunted in reply as per usual. He spent about twenty minutes browsing, gravitating towards the soul jazz and metal music, and Levy watched him idly, picking at her fingernails and waiting for him to be ready to check out. "You know, the eighteenth century celtic hymns are over here," she joked. Gajeel made a sound that could have been his version of laughter or a derisive snort-it was hard to tell with him.

When he was finally making his way to the register Levy's favorite song from this particular album came on. Instead of filling the relative silence with her usual friendly small talk, she allowed the music to be the only sound in the room, hoping that he was listening. He didn't seem to be reacting to the literal perfection that was currently filling the air, so maybe his mind was elsewhere. _This,_ she thought, _is where my backup plan comes in._

While Gajeel was distracted scratching his nose, Levy slipped her personal copy of the record that was currently playing into his bag, along with a little note saying he _had_ to listen to it, and that she also expected it back. Now all she could do was wait until this time next week to see how he felt about it.

"So you just _gave_ him your copy?" Lucy asked incredulously, leaning over the counter and blocking the way for the customer that was trying to check out. Luckily, the customer in question was Lucy's boyfriend, so Levy didn't have to worry about seeming discourteous to another customer.

"Yeah I- Natsu you already have a copy of this one at home," Levy pointed out, handing him back one of his choices.

"But I thought you said I needed to listen to _Vices and Virtues_!"

"Yes, I did, last week. When you bought it. Now you need _Too Weird to Live too Rare to Die._ "

"Oh." Lucy rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's forgetfulness, and then looked back at Levy to hear the rest of the story.

"Well, anyway, I had the store copy playing when he came in, and I slipped my own copy in his bag when he wasn't looking."

"Why is it so important to you that this guy listens to this album?" Natsu asked, returning to the counter with _thankfully_ the right album. He'd been known to fetch the wrong one a few times in a row before getting it right.

"It's not that album in particular that I want him to listen too, it's that he won't listen to my recommendations and it annoys me because everyone listens to my recommendations!"

"What are you going to do if he doesn't like it then?" Natsu asked.

"Cry, probably. Not really, Natsu," she added when he gave her an incredulous look.

"But really though," Lucy insisted.

"I suppose I'll try and get out of him why he didn't like it and try again. I'm determined to give him a good recommendation."

"Well, good luck!" Natsu cried, already halfway out of the door. Lucy bid Levy farewell and followed after him. Levy took a deep breath.

 _He's going to like the record. He has too._

Levy was unreasonably nervous to be freaking out about a music rec she gave a random customer. It had somehow become more than that however, when he had steadfastly refused to listen to anything that she recommended. She felt like her pride and her reputation were hinging on this-which of course may have been true of her pride, but no one would be surprised if Gajeel didn't take a rec from her. Apparently he didn't take recs from anyone.

It was possible that he hadn't listened to the record at all, that he'd merely ignored it as some strange antic of the short girl who sold him records. She bit her lip nervously as the time Gajeel usually stopped by approached. She assumed he was stopping by on the way home from work, but she'd never been able to get so much as a hello out of him, so that was just a guess.

The doorbell jingled and Levy looked up from the dog she was nervously doodling and saw Gajeel standing in the door, her record tucked under his arm. She straightened herself up to her fullest height (not very much) as he approached the counter directly for the first time in living memory. He gave her an unreadable look and opened his mouth to speak.

"Alright shrimp, what else you got?"

Levy was so shocked at first she couldn't react. So _that's_ what his voice sounded like when he wasn't grunting off handed replies to her. Good to know. The next thing that came to her attention was the nickname he had chosen for her.

" _What did you just call me?"_ Her tone lowered dangerously. Even more surprising was his reaction to the death glare she was currently shooting him. He laughed. A real, unsarcastic laugh. She discovered that his laugh fit him perfectly and wasn't entirely unpleasant.

"Don't like to be called shrimp? Alright then, Levy it is. You got my attention, Levy, so tell me, what else you got for me?"

"Follow me," she said, grinning and leaving her sanctuary behind the counter and walking to the metal albums, "and show me what you like."

That's how it all started.

X x x

After that Gajeel started dropping by more often and spending more time in the shop, just chatting with Levy. Levy was surprised by the steep change in personality and attitude, but took it in stride. She had accomplished her goal, and her reputation was in tact. Not to mention Gajeel was actually pretty cool and fun to spend time with.

"So what's new on the Gajevy front?" Lucy asked almost every time that she saw Levy, and Levy would moan the same three words in response.

"We're not Gajevy!"

"You aren't until you are!" Natsu would chime in at this point, always from a different part of the store. Natsu was always looking at new types of music, and right now he was browsing the eighteenth century celtic hymns that Levy had teased Gajeel about a few weeks ago.

"You know he's been coming by a lot, and he's _all_ you talk about! You're totally crushing on him!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Alright fine, I am!" Lucy squealed, "but there's no way he would be interested in me!"

"I don't see why not, you're pretty cool, Levy," Natsu said, shelving one record and pulling another one out.

"Thanks Natsu, and I hope you're putting those back in their right spots."

"Are you kidding me? After what happened last time I'm never putting another record in the wrong place again! It was just like the last time I put one of Lucy's books back in the wrong place!"

"It matters!" The girls snapped together, then laughed as Natsu grimaced.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Believe me." Natsu went back to browsing, and the girls went back to chatting.

"You should ask him out!"

"No way!"

"Why!"

"Because he would laugh at me!"

"Nah," Natsu interrupted again, handing Lucy a record to hold for him while he continued to shop. "Gajeel is kinda an asshole but even he wouldn't do that."

"Thanks Natsu."

"What even is this, Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking at the unfamiliar script on the cover.

"It's an old celtic hymn collection," Levy answered, inspecting the back as Lucy looked at the front.

"Why are you buying it?"

"I thought Happy would like it."

"Are you sure about that?" Levy asked, "Doesn't Happy usually go for instrumental soundtracks not foreign languages?"

"He's trying to broaden his horizons."

"I see." Levy had long since gotten used to being asked to recommend music for a weirdly blue cat. Natsu had brought him to the shop once for Levy to meet, and he really had seemed to enjoy the music she picked, so she let it be.

"You know I think Happy would tell you to go for it too, Levy," Natsu said.

"I think I'll refrain from taking life advice from a feline, even one who appreciates my music recommending abilities, thanks." Natsu shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

"Happy's right," Lucy said, "go for it."

"Not you too!"

"I'm just saying, the cat's got a point." Levy had also gotten used to her best friend picking up Natsu's habit of referring to Happy like he was a real person. Levy sighed.

"I'll think about it."

"Yay!" Natsu and Lucy checked out and left right as Gajeel walked in. The two boys scowled at each other, but Lucy dragged Natsu away before they could start another brawl in her shop. After the last one she had nearly banned both of them for life.

"Hey Gajeel."

"Hey Levy."

"What's up?"

"Nothing really-wait, did someone buy one of those wailey old records you tried to make me buy once?" Levy snickered. He was referring to the disturbed dust and missing record on the celtic shelf.

"Natsu just did, for Happy."

"Who is Happy?"

"His cat." Gajeel couldn't seem to tell if she was kidding so she added, "Happy's trying to branch out from his usual instrumental music to some foreign languages and such." _Great, now I'm doing it._

"The cat is?"

"Yup."

"It's a cat."

"Hey, don't diss Happy, I helped him pick out his first album myself! He kept ignoring all the other music until I put on the instrumental soundtrack and he curled up next to the record player and started purring!"

Gajeel had apparently no idea how to react to this, or even if he should be taking her seriously. He stared at her silently with an incredulous look on his face for a solid thirty seconds-just _staring_ until Levy threw her pen at him.

"Stop staring at me!"

"Sorry," He grunted, turning away and chuckling. Levy rolled her eyes. Why did he always antagonize her?

"So anyway, what's up?"

"Oh-uh," he said, stuttering for what was quite possibly the first time since Levy had known him. If she didn't know any better, she would say his ears were turning pink, but no, that wasn't possible.

"Yes?" Levy pressed, leaning expectantly over the counter.

"I was, uh, wondering if you maybe wanted to see each other sometimes, like outside the shop."

"Oh," Levy said dumbly, "yeah, that'd be fun!" _Gajevy lives,_ she thought. Then, _calm down, he might just want to be friends._

"Like, on a date." _Or...not._

"Even better."

"Really?'

"Yeah."

"Awesome!" Levy snorted. "What?" Gajeel asked indignantly.

"I'm sorry, it's just, that's your reaction, awesome?"

"Yeah, you gotta problem with it shrimp?"

"No, not at all," she said innocently. When she looked at him he was grinning, and she couldn't help but be suspicious.

"What are you planning?" She asked.

"I get to pick the music in the car!"

"No way!" She protested, even though they had virtually the same taste in music. "I'm the expert here!"

"Just because you own a record shop doesn't make you the music expert!"

"Your new record collection might disagree," she challenged.

"You may have a point," he conceded. "Alright, we can share, but I still get the radio first." Levy thought about it briefly before nodding.

"Alright, I agree to your terms."

"So I'll pick you up at-" he glanced over at the store hours on the door, "Eight."

"Tonight?" She asked, vaguely alarmed.

"Yup."

"What if I have plans?" Gajeel snorted. "Hey! I have friends!"

"The only person I've seen you talk to is Lucy, and she just left with her boyfriend."

"I have other friends too!"

"So do you have other plans?" He asked, looking like he already knew the answer.

"No…" she pouted.

"Alright then. Eight." Levy sighed.

"Alright, fine."

"Oh my _Mavis,_ Gajeel you did not."

"Gehehe, I did."

"HOW? Tickets were sold out a month ago!"

"I have a friend who works here, he got me a couple."

"Nice!"

Gajeel had taken them to a concert of the band whose record that Levy had slipped into Gajeel's bag that day. It was a surprisingly romantic gesture, which she hadn't thought would be his style.

"Is it possible you're a romantic, Gajeel?" Levy asked, more teasing than anything. She was surprised again when he blushed.

"Shut up." _So that's a yes?_ She thought incredulously.

The guards at the concert gave him an especially hard time because of his threatening appearance and resting scowl, but they got through security alright and made it to the lawn of the open venue. They picked a grassy spot that wasn't overly crowded and sat side by side, closer than was really necessary.

Levy found she had never heard of one of the opener bands, and she really liked them. She was just telling Gajeel how she'd order copies for her store when she got to the shop in the morning when the lead singer closed and introduced the main show. Levy leapt to her feet and squealed, which Gajeel thought was adorable.

"Are they gonna play our song tonight?"

"You mean the one that was playing when I checked out that day?"

"Ha! So you _were_ listening!" Levy cried triumphantly.

"Maybe just a little." Levy grinned up at him.

Their song was the third on the list, but they hardly heard it over the sounds of their beating hearts as Gajeel kissed her for the first time.


End file.
